A Dream Come True
by CSI-girl419
Summary: She'd never really thought of herself as beautiful, but all that was about to change.
1. Love at First Sight

_**And now a word from CSI-girl419: This is not my story, and I can in no way take credit for it. I am just publishing it for my dear friend Athena. I hope you guys like it a lot! She'll explain more about it herself...**_

**A Dream Come True**

**A/N: This is my first attempt at fan fiction, and I think I'm addicted! ;) In any case, my good friend CSI-girl419's story, ****Unexpected Journey****, inspired a story of my own. She told me a little more background about a couple of the characters, and I decided to run with it, with her permission to use her characters and part of her story, of course. Since I can't have my own account here, she's also agreed to publish it for me, so, without further ado, here is ****A Dream Come True**

**Introduction**

Growing up, she'd never really thought of herself as beautiful. In fact, she'd always thought of herself as the ugly duckling amongst all the beautiful swans that were her friends. Beauty, she thought, came in a package including blonde hair and blue eyes, with the exception of Isabelle Caine, a dark-eyed beauty closely resembling her late mother, who had passed away when Belle was a baby. Belle just happened to be one of her three best friends, and three better friends she could never ask for. Belle, Mel, and Britt had always been there for her, and were, in fact, part of the reason she was where she was at all. If it weren't for them, she might not have met Taylor, and the two of them might not be getting married now… She smiled, looking at herself in the mirror in the bride room, letting her mind wander back over the past five years, beginning with the day her life (and self-image) had changed forever…

**Chapter 1: Love at First Sight**

"He's looking at you again, Heather!" Melissa Delko gushed happily. "Why don't you go over and say hello?"

Heather looked up in the direction Melissa was indicating, and then quickly looked down again. "No, I'm sure he's looking at you. Why on earth would he want to look at me?" she said.

Heather Kenison was short and skinny with long brown hair and brown eyes. The short and skinny, she could deal with, but the brown hair and eyes were, in her opinion, a combination only Isabelle Caine could pull off. Not that Heather minded being ugly. In fact, she saw it as a perfect excuse to constantly do the things she loved best: read, write, and make music. Once in a while, though, she did wish she were prettier, like right now, when a cute guy, obviously taken by Mel's beauty, was looking in their direction.

Mel, unconvinced, insisted, "No, he's looking at you! Why can't you just accept the fact that you're beautiful and guys notice you?"

"Because it's not true," Heather stubbornly responded.

Mel gave an exasperated sigh, "What am I going to do with you?"

Heather giggled and said dramatically, "Love me, keep me, never leave me!" Mel joined in the giggles and playfully hit Heather on the arm.

Just then, Brittany walked up to hush them. "Quiet! They're here!"

Immediately, Heather and Mel quit giggling, but the anticipation on their faces showed they were ready to burst from the excitement. The whole reason they were there was because it was Isabelle Caine's, or Belle, as they called her, sixteenth birthday, her Sweet Sixteen. Her father, Horatio, had rented this yacht for the party and put Mel in charge of the guest list, and there was quite a turnout. Heather knew most of the teenagers there, but the cute boy that kept looking their way was one of the few she had yet to know.

Everyone quieted down and stayed out of sight of the dock, listening as Horatio Caine told his daughter he'd rented the yacht for her party. When Belle expressed surprise at a party, they all moved into her sight and began singing a rousing, and not quite in tune, as Heather quickly noticed, chorus of Happy Birthday. When they finished, they all went down the gangplank to greet the guest of honor. They then went onboard and headed out to sea with what promised to be a great party beginning.

There was music and dancing. Heather, always the wallflower, stayed by the railing talking to Brittany and watching as Mel went to talk to the cute boy who'd been looking earlier. Heather and Britt watched, mildly interested, as Mel talked to the boy then, smiling, led him over to them.

"Heather, Britt, this is Taylor. Taylor, this is Heather and Brittany," Mel said, indicating each in turn.

Taylor shook Britt's hand, then Heather's, and, flashing brilliant teeth, said, "It's very nice to meet you." Instead of letting go of Heather's hand, he raised it to his lips, his eyes never leaving her face as he kissed it.

Heather, startled, quickly appraised him before responding. He was tall and tan, with light brown hair and a sprinkling of freckles across his nose, just enough that you noticed his eyes, which were a deep blue. He was wearing blue swimming trunks with a completely unbuttoned button-up shirt that revealed rippling muscles and abs that would make any girl's heart flutter.

Finally, Heather smiled and said, "It's nice to meet you, too."

"Would you care to dance?" Taylor said, indicating other couples dancing. If she hadn't been so startled by this unexpected turn of events, Heather might have found his formal tone rather funny. As it was, she only dimly registered that the song could easily be waltzed to as she nodded and allowed herself to be led onto the dance floor.

Taylor turned out to be quite the dancer. He could waltz and cha-cha and swing like no one Heather had ever danced with, including those in her old class at school. While they danced, they talked and laughed about anything and everything they could think of. By the time they stopped to rest, all thoughts that she was ugly in any way, shape, or form, were far from Heather's mind.

The two of them went over to the railing by Belle to look out at the ocean. Taylor kept his hand on Heather's back, as if ready to sweep her onto the dance floor again. It felt very nice. They cheered with everyone else as the yacht started moving. Just then, the yacht hit a wave and Belle fell overboard. Like a flash, Taylor dove in after her, but Eric Delko, Mel's dad, who'd been in the cockpit steering, was faster and reached her first. He brought her back on deck, with a little help from Taylor and another boy who'd jumped in, Garret, and laid her on deck. Horatio came running and found, to his horror, that his only child wasn't breathing. He immediately began performing CPR and, to everyone's relief, revived Belle. She was wrapped in blankets and towels and taken below decks to lie on a couch as Eric steered them back towards land.

Meanwhile, on deck, Taylor and Garret had been given towels. Heather went to Taylor's side, telling him how brave it was of him to dive in after Belle. He modestly brushed it all off, saying he would've done the same for anyone. He then pulled Heather close and just held her there in his arms. She fit so perfectly there that she almost felt they were meant to be together. Almost, but not quite, as a little voice in her head told her it was all too good to be true.

When they reached land a few minutes later, there were boats and camera crews everywhere, wanting to get the story. A passing news helicopter had captured the whole rescue on tape. Horatio had everyone back off to give Belle some space as he tenderly put her on a stretcher. As a precaution, the paramedics decided to take her to the hospital, where the ribs broken during CPR were attended to and she was checked to make sure everything else was normal after her ordeal.

All the guests went home, but Heather, Britt, and Mel visited Belle to help her feel better, first. They found that the story was on all the channels, now known as the "Sweet Sixteen Rescue."

When Heather went home, however, her thoughts were far from Belle. Instead, her thoughts strayed to Taylor. Why had he been so nice to her? No matter what the reason, the very thought of him brought a smile to her face, and she had sweet dreams of him that night.

TBC

**A/N: Please read and review! I know this has been a little choppy, but I'd like to know how my first attempt is going so far!**


	2. Impossibilities in Nature

**Chapter 2: Impossibilities in Nature**

A week later, Heather was at the mall with Belle, Mel, and Britt. They'd decided to set this day aside to just hang out and have fun, watching dollar movies and window shopping to their hearts' content. At that moment, however, Heather wasn't so sure she was enjoying herself. The subject had turned to her and Taylor, and she'd had plenty of time to convince herself that there was no way he could possibly like her. This made the subject very sore for her, especially since her friends were all convinced otherwise.

"Honestly, Heather, why can't you just face facts?" Belle was saying.

"Yeah, we all saw how he was looking at you!" chimed Britt.

"Besides," added Mel, "he's been asking me about you ever since!"

Heather shook her head, wondering how she could possibly persuade her friends to her way of thinking. Finally, she said simply, "It's easy for you to say. Boys love you guys."

This, evidently, was the wrong thing to say, as it brought another explosion from her friends, each trying to explain to Heather that she, not them, was the one the boys were all asking about. She was the one they'd all be swarming around, if she let them. Heather, unconvinced, finally broke in, "Guys, I appreciate the effort, but I know you're just trying to make me feel better. I know I'm not pretty, and I'm perfectly happy the way things are, if you'd just quit bugging me about it."

Her three friends gave an exasperated sigh and lapsed into silence. Finally, Mel voiced an idea that had been forming in her mind, "Well, if you won't believe us, maybe you'll believe Aunt Calleigh. She knows more about these things than we do, in any case."

In the face of Belle and Britt's overly enthusiastic responses, Heather heaved a long sigh of defeat. "Fine," she said, clearly unhappy with the situation. "Let's go see Calleigh."

All giggling happily, except Heather, the four girls left the mall and drove (Heather had her license and had borrowed her parents' car for the day) to the Wolfe's house.

Calleigh Wolfe was a thin blonde with green eyes. She and her husband, Ryan, worked for Belle's father at the CSI lab. They had two children, and Heather and her friends loved visiting to play with the kids or, more frequently, to ask Calleigh's advice on something–most likely boys–as they were doing now. When they knocked on the front door, Calleigh answered almost immediately and, seeing who it was, smiled warmly, inviting them in with her familiar, soothing Southern accent.

They all sat down on the couch in the living room, and Calleigh brought in a plate of cookies and glasses of milk for each of them. "I know this may seem like a childish snack," she began apologetically, "but I figured everyone deserves to relive their childhood, even if they're not that far from it!"

All four girls assured her that they loved milk and cookies and would never grow out of them. Beaming, Calleigh sat down in an armchair. "Now, what brings you ladies here on this fine day?"

Speaking between mouthfuls of cookie, Belle, Mel, and Britt took turns explaining the situation. "And she won't listen to reason, so we thought we'd come see what you thought," Mel finished in a rush, frustrated once again.

"I see…" Calleigh began slowly. She turned her beautiful green eyes on Heather. "And what does Heather think about this?"

Heather, who had been listening silently, wondering how best to escape, started, having not expected Calleigh to ask. "Me? I think it's all bogus, an impossibility! He's just being friendly; he doesn't mean anything by it!" She looked hopefully at Calleigh and added, "Can't you make them see that I'm right?"

Calleigh looked thoughtful as she said, "Well, let's hear your side of the story first. Tell me everything that's happened between you and Taylor since you first saw each other at Belle's party."

Whatever the girls had been expecting, it wasn't this. Even Heather choked on her cookie before, coughing, she answered, "Well, he was looking at Mel and me when I first saw him…" She then related the events of Belle's party, ending with Taylor hugging her.

"Well," Calleigh said, choosing her words carefully, "I hate to burst your bubble, Heather, but it sounds like he really does like you."

"See?" Mel immediately shot out.

Calleigh held up a hand, smiling, and continued, "I seriously doubt that he would've done all that 'just to be nice'. Boys rarely do."

This was actually just what Heather had been hoping to hear, no matter what she told everyone else, but she still wouldn't allow herself to believe it. As if sensing the battle that was now going on within Heather, Calleigh quietly said, "I know it's hard, but you have to let go of your fears sometime. Give Taylor a chance. If things don't work out, I promise I won't push you any more, and you can even come cry on my shoulder."

Heather gave Calleigh a grateful smile. "Thanks, Calleigh. It still seems impossible, unnatural, but I've never known you to be wrong."

Calleigh smiled and winked. "Well, that's very sweet of you! Now, if only you could convince my kids and Ryan of that fact, we'd be in business!"

The girls all laughed and started just chatting with Calleigh until, finally, the cookies and milk were gone and it was time to go home.

As soon as Heather walked into her front door, the phone rang. She heard her mom answer it. "Hello?... Just a minute, I think she just walked in…." She poked her head into the room, "Heather? It's for you."

Heather took the phone, wondering who on earth it could be. "Hello?"

A male voice answered, "Heather?"

**A/N: I know you're gonna hate me for this cliff-hanger, but I bet you already know who's on the other line, so don't hate me too much! Please read and review, and thanks to those of you who already have! It makes me happy!**


	3. A Leap of Faith

**A/N: Hey, everyone! Sorry for the delay. I've been having trouble getting the story out of Heather, and I've been busy, too, so things tend to go undone… Anyway, here it is, finally, the next chapter! It starts where the last one leaves off, so have fun!**

Chapter 3: A Leap of Faith

"Yes, this is she." She recognized that voice from somewhere, but where?

"This is Taylor." She gave an inaudible gasp. "I was wondering…" He hesitated a moment. "Would you go out with me next Saturday?"

Heather took a moment to get her breathing back under control before answering. When she felt she finally had herself under control, she said, her voice shaking despite her efforts, "You're joking, right?"

"No, I'm totally serious," he said, sounding bemused. "Why? Did I sound like I was joking?"

Shaking her head dazedly, Heather answered, "No, but it just doesn't seem possible that anyone would ask me out. No one ever has."

"What?! Who wouldn't want to go out with you?" He sounded genuinely surprised, which amazed Heather.

"Well, no one ever has…"

"Well, I do, and I'm asking. Will you go out with me next Saturday?" His tone was firmer, definitely more serious.

"I'd love to!"

"Okay, then. I'll pick you up at seven, alright? Nothing too fancy, don't worry."

"Okay. See you Saturday at seven, then!"

As she hung up the phone, she could hardly believe it. How could it be possible? Never, as long as she'd lived, had a guy ever asked her for a date, especially not a guy as cute or sweet as Taylor. She sat on the couch for a minute, numb with disbelief. She didn't understand it, as she'd never managed to see beauty when she looked in the mirror, but Taylor, it seems, had noticed something, even if she hadn't.

Once she finally wrapped her mind around that possibility, she picked up the phone and dialed Mel's number. On the third ring, Mel's father, Eric, answered, "Delko residence, this is Eric speaking."

"Hi, Eric, this is Heather. Can I talk to Mel, please?" Heather couldn't keep the rising excitement out of her voice.

"Yeah, just a moment."

Heather waited, somewhat impatiently, while he went to get her, still amazed, but no less excited.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Mel, it's Heather. You'll never believe what just happened!"

"Hmmm… Let me guess… Taylor just asked you out?"

"Taylor just… Wait a minute… How'd you know?"

Laughing, Mel said, "Well, right before he called you, he called me to find out if there was any way you'd say yes. He didn't want to get himself all worked up just to be turned down, you know. You did say yes, didn't you?"

Rolling her eyes, Heather said, "Yeah, but you already knew that, or he wouldn't've called, would he?"

Mel laughed again and said, with a mischievous note in her voice, "No, he might not've, but I'm not all knowing, I could've been wrong when I told him he'd most definitely get a yes."

"True, but you know me better than that," Heather said, now joining in the laughter. "Oh, I'm so excited! I haven't a clue what to wear, though… Any ideas?"

"No, but I'm sure we can get together before your date and find something. When is it, anyway?"

"Next Saturday. He said he'd pick me up at seven. I can hardly wait!"

Grinning, Mel said, "I bet! I'll be sure to tell him if he calls all anxious because he's sure you just said yes to be nice, or something!"

Giggling, Heather said, "Yeah, you do that. Well, I'll let you go. I've gotta call Britt and Belle and tell them, too!"

"Okay. See ya later!"

"Alright! Bye!"

Similar conversations followed with Britt and Belle, and Heather was left alone with her thoughts once more. She contemplated the day's events for a moment, unsure just how to take them. She could hardly believe this was happening, that something was actually going right for once in her non-existent love life. She suddenly wondered, once again, how this was possible. After all, no boy had ever shown any interest in her, no matter what her friends said in their efforts to cheer her up.

The week leading up to the date passed in a blur. Bits and pieces of it stood out in Heather's mind, like Belle's softball game on Tuesday and her own soccer game on Wednesday, but for the most part, Heather was preoccupied with thoughts of her looming date on Saturday. All week, she talked with Britt, Mel, and Belle about the date. The three of them had fun planning her outfit and speculating on where he'd take her and what they'd do.

Before she knew it, the week was over, and she was eagerly getting ready for her date, not wanting to keep Taylor waiting or waste a minute of the time they'd have together. She and her friends had decided that she'd wear a simple red dress, to set off her hair, with matching shoes that were slightly high-heeled. The dress had a U-neck that was just high enough to maintain her modesty and cap sleeves. It was tight enough to show off her figure to her waist, where the full flower-petal skirt came down to just below her knees. She worked hardest and longest on her hair, which never seemed to cooperate when she wanted it to, but which she finally succeeded in curling lightly, as opposed to the much tighter curls it usually stubbornly maintained. Finally ready, she hurried down the stairs to find her dad sitting in the recliner, a tight hold on his shotgun.

Heather kept her voice carefully exasperated as she said, "Dad, do you have to threaten him with that?"

"Yes. You're my only daughter, and I want to make sure this young hooligan knows his place," he responded gruffly, maintaining his grip on the gun and appraising her as he spoke. "You look beautiful, Kiddo," he added, a note of pride in his voice this time.

"Oh, Daddy!" With a giggle, Heather swooped down on her dad, hugging him and kissing him soundly on both cheeks.

The doorbell rang just then, leaving him no chance to respond. Beaming, Heather went to answer the door, but she didn't reach it before her mom, who answered it with a smile. "Oh, hello! You must be Taylor! Won't you come in?"

"Thank you," Taylor said as he entered. Heather saw with relief that she wasn't overdressed, as he was wearing a light blue button-up shirt and tan slacks. His eyes swept the living room, taking in her dad in the recliner with his shotgun (he was now carefully pretending to polish it), and finally resting upon Heather. Taking her in slowly, he said, "You look beautiful."

Heather, unused as she was to praise like this from anyone outside of her family or circle of friends, blushed as she answered, "Thank you."

He took her hand and kissed it, just as he had when they first met, then pulled a bouquet of flowers out from behind his back, saying as he did so, "Here. These are for you."

Heather took the flowers curiously, then gasped in surprise as she sniffed them, "Daisies! They're my favorite! But how did you know?"

Taylor grinned, a little apologetically, and looked down, apparently to study his shoes, as he answered, "Mel told me. I've done a little research…" He looked up then and added quickly, "I hope you don't mind."

Heather smiled warmly. "No, of course not!" She was secretly pleased that he'd go to the trouble, but she'd never tell him that. "Let me just get a vase for these…" she said, letting her voice trail off as she headed to the kitchen.

She found a vase and filled it with water, setting the flowers carefully inside, then returned to the living room with the vase to set it on the mantle above the fireplace, where it could be admired by everyone. She turned back to her parents and Taylor, smiling at the awkward silence the three were sharing. "Well, shall we get going, then?"

Taylor jumped at the idea, eager to leave the awkward situation behind him. "Only if you're ready to go," he amended quickly as she giggled at his eagerness.

"Yes," she said, "I'm ready if you are."

"Have a good time!" her mom said as she and her dad showed them to the door.

"And take care of my girl!" her dad said gruffly. "Have her home by midnight!"

Heather turned to hug and kiss both her parents goodbye as Taylor said, "Don't worry, sir, she's in good hands with me."

They both waved to her parents as they walked to his car, an almost-new Honda Civic. Taylor held the door open for her as she climbed in, beaming at this show of chivalry, then went around the car and got in, himself, before carefully driving away with her parents watching from the porch.

"I don't think your dad likes me much," Taylor said in an effort to break the ice.

"No, he's like that with everyone. Frankly, I wouldn't have expected anything less from him. I am his little girl, after all," Heather answered in a soothing, matter-of-fact tone.

"You don't seem like a little girl to me," Taylor said, fixing her for a moment with a warm gaze before concentrating once more on the road.

Heather blushed again as she answered. "Thank you."

The ride was uneventful, and they soon reached their destination: a little beachside restaurant near where they'd all met for Belle's birthday party two weeks before. Taylor parked, then hurried around the car to get Heather's door. As she climbed out, he said, somewhat apologetically, "I hope this place is okay. I just thought it might be nice; a good place to get to know each other better…"

Heather smiled. "It's perfect! I've always wanted to come here!"

Taylor beamed at her reaction, then offered her his arm. "Shall we?"

Heather smiled back and took his arm. "Yes, we shall."

Taylor led her into the restaurant and up to the host. "Table for two, outside," he said, glancing at Heather to make sure this was alright. Heather smiled and nodded as the host said, "Of course. Right this way."

He led them out a back door to a small table set for two. It looked almost as if it had been waiting just for them. Taylor held out a chair for Heather, and she sat down, still marveling at his chivalry. As he sat down, she playfully said, "So, are you this much of a gentleman to all the girls?"

He smiled as he answered, "Yeah. It's something my mom said that every girl wants: a perfect gentleman. So, she taught me some things that every perfect gentleman should know, and chivalry was one of them."

Heather smiled. "Well, your mom is a very smart woman, then."

"Yeah, I always thought so," Taylor said, laughing.

Just then, a waiter came to their table. He spoke smoothly, formally, as he handed them menus and asked what they would like to drink. Heather looked carefully at the listed options and decided on raspberry lemonade. Taylor ordered a Coke. The waiter told them he'd be just a moment with their drinks.

They looked carefully at the menu. Heather was surprised to see such variety, everything from tuna sandwiches (surprising at a restaurant like this, which seemed more upscale than that) to giant squid. She looked at each item, already knowing the kind of thing she'd like. Finally, her eyes lighted on the shrimp sampler, a plate consisting of a small portion of almost every type of shrimp the restaurant offered. Smiling, she folded her menu and waited for Taylor to decide on his entrée, and for the waiter to come back.

When Taylor finally decided what he would eat, he also folded his menu, smiling, then casually said, "By the way, you did very well on Wednesday. I'd never seen anyone play quite like you."

Startled, Heather took a moment before responding. "You were at my soccer game? Why didn't I see you there? Who told you I even played?"

Taylor smiled, saying, "Well, I wasn't sure if you'd want me there. Mel mentioned you had a game, so I decided to drop by, see how well you played. Honestly, I've never seen anyone, especially a girl, play like you."

Heather gave him a wry smile, "Is that supposed to be a nice way of saying how bad I am?"

Now it was Taylor's turn to be startled. "What? No! I thought you played very well! I may not know much about soccer, but I know enough to know a good player when I see one!"

Heather turned slightly pink as she answered, "Well, thank you. That's very nice of you."

Taylor smiled, at ease again, "Not at all. It's the truth, isn't it?"

Heather was spared answering by the return of the waiter with their drinks. In the same formally respectful tone, he asked if they'd decided what they would eat, looking first to Heather for a response.

"I'll have the shrimp sampler, please," Heather said calmly.

"And you, sir?" said the waiter, turning to Taylor.

"I'll have the lobster special," answered Taylor, not taking his eyes off Heather as he answered.

"Very well. I shall have your entrées shortly," replied the waiter, taking each of their menus back before leaving.

"So," said Heather, desperately searching for a topic other than her, "what sort of things do you like to do?"

"Well, I like to read and write. I play trombone in the marching band. And I play basketball." He said all this rather dismissively, smiling at Heather's poorly-disguised attempt to change the subject.

"Really?" said Heather, grasping the subject enthusiastically. "I like the same things! I'm not in the marching band right now, but I am in the regular band on flute and piccolo, whichever they need me to play at the time. I'm not too bad at basketball, either, though I haven't played in years, so maybe I'm speaking too soon on that one…"

Taylor smiled again, "I wouldn't be so sure about your basketball skills going stagnant yet, if I were you. In fact, they might still be pretty good. At least, your defense might be."

Heather laughed, "No, I doubt it. My defense was actually my worst point when I played."

Taylor instantly put on a more serious tone. "No, I think it must have gotten pretty good by now. I mean, your defense was pretty good in your soccer game, and it takes the same kind of concentration and determination to defend in basketball."

Heather just shook her head and changed the subject again. "So, is there a plan for after dinner?"

Taylor had a mischievous glint in his eye as he answered in a mock-severe tone, "Now, we don't want to go spoiling the surprise, do we? You'll just have to wait and see!"

Curious, Heather opened her mouth to protest, but was instantly cut off by Taylor's next comment, "So, do you go out often?"

He still had that mischievous glint in his eye, and Heather knew it would do her no good to protest, so, reluctantly, she answered, "Well, no. I've never had much interest in asking guys out who obviously weren't interested, and nobody's ever asked me out."

"What?" Taylor said in disbelief. "Do you honestly think nobody was interested? And who wouldn't want to ask you out?"

Heather got defensive, "Well, nobody's ever asked me out, and nobody really showed interest, that I could see, except you."

Taylor shook his head in disbelief. "I may not have known you long enough to show interest before, but, from what Mel's told me, they were definitely interested. From what she says, none of them were ever able to get their courage up to ask you because you never showed interest."

Heather opened her mouth to protest, but then shut it, thoughtfully. Finally, she slowly responded, "Well, I guess I was always afraid to show interest because I never thought of myself as beautiful. Why get your hopes up if there's no way anyone will notice you in the first place?"

Taylor listened, shaking his head as Heather finished. "I can't believe you've thought that about yourself. If only you could see what I see, you would never again believe that you aren't beautiful."

Heather listened, shocked, as Taylor finished and blushed. Finally, she said, "I'm flattered. I really don't know what to say."

Taylor grinned, embarrassed at his sudden outburst, and looked up, relieved, as the waiter returned with Heather's shrimp and his lobster. They sat through their meal in near silence, with the occasional comment, neither one anxious to acknowledge the awkward conversation they'd just had.

When they were finished and Taylor had paid, they walked out into the parking lot. Heather let Taylor guide her, not really paying attention to where they were going, until she realized that they weren't headed to his car.

"Where are we going?" she asked. She wasn't concerned, just curious.

"Oh, ummm…" Taylor paused, and, in the dim light, Heather was sure she could see him blushing a little bit. "I thought a walk on the beach might be nice?" he finished lamely, turning his answer into a question.

Heather smiled, hoping this might ease whatever embarrassment Taylor might have, then answered, "Yes, that would be very nice." There was a full moon and, in her opinion, there was no more romantic setting than the beach by moonlight. She was ecstatic that Taylor might think so, too.

The two walked onto the beach, and Heather soon realized that her shoes might be a problem. "Hold on a minute, Taylor. I've got to take off my shoes so I can walk without falling every few feet!"

Taylor stopped, smiling, as he watched Heather remove her shoes then hurry to catch up with him, holding her shoes in one hand. She tentatively slid her free hand into his, then looked up cautiously to see his reaction. He smiled and squeezed her hand in reassurance, and they continued onto the beach, closer to where the waves crashed upon the shore, just close enough that they were walking on the wet sand.

They walked a little further until they heard music coming from a party ahead. Taylor stopped then, and Heather, still holding his hand, looked up to find him looking at her hesitantly. He smiled and said, "I heard the music and it made me think of when we first met. Would you care to dance?"

Heather smiled back at him. "I'd love to."

He smiled and proceeded to hold her in the customary ballroom dance position, but she stopped him, "But, first, let's get up on dryer sand so I can get rid of my shoes and dance properly."

They walked up away from the tide line and, after Heather deposited her shoes where they'd be safe, proceeded to dance with only the moon and stars as witness.

**A/N: There. A long chapter. Hopefully, this will make up for me taking so long to update! Please review! I need to know how my first attempt at fan fiction is going so I know what to fix in upcoming chapters! I just might not update again if I don't get more reviews!**


	4. The Time of Her Life

**Chapter 4: The Time of Her Life**

The next two years were the happiest of Heather's life. She and Taylor dated each other off and on, but both agreed that they should date other people, at least until they were out of high school. Even after just one date, Taylor had given her the confidence she needed to date others, even if she had to ask them herself. However, she noticed that no matter what she did on any given date, she always had more fun when she was with Taylor. With each date they went on, each precious moment she spent with him, she found herself falling more in love with him. She even caught herself wishing, on those dates with someone other than Taylor, that she were with Taylor instead. The dates were pleasant enough, of course, but it was never quite the same as when she was with Taylor.

The January after Heather turned 18, she and Taylor were on one of their increasingly frequent dates. This date was highly reminiscent of their first date, complete with dancing on the beach, though this time Taylor provided the music with his portable radio. As they were dancing, Taylor even sang along softly in Heather's ear with some of the love songs. It made her smile to know that he was singing it to her. Finally, they stopped dancing and walked hand in hand on the beach, just talking.

"So, what would be your perfect wedding, if you were to get married right now?" Taylor asked.

Heather thought a moment before answering. "Well, I think I'd like an outdoor wedding, mid-spring, with flowers and roses everywhere. I'd like my dad to walk me down the aisle, of course, and to be married under a rose-covered archway. The bridesmaid's dresses would be of a pale pink or lavender, or both, whichever looks better to me at the time, and the men's tuxes would have a light blue vest and bowtie. The weather would be perfect, and a reception would follow, with dancing late into the night. I'd have a father-daughter dance, 'cause who could have a wedding without one? Especially since my dad's been such an important part of my life…" She trailed off, smiling blissfully at the image created in her head.

Taylor opened his mouth to speak, but then his cell phone rang. He checked the caller ID before answering; the call was coming from Heather's house. Frowning worriedly, he answered, "Hello? … No, she's right here, just hold on!"

He held out the phone to Heather, who was startled by the worried crease to his brow. She answered, and her mother's voice, sounding panicked and anxious, answered back, "Heather? You need to come home right now! Your father's had a heart attack, and they're taking him to the hospital now. Please, hurry!"

Heather handed the phone back to Taylor, looking worried. She didn't need to say anything, Taylor understood. The two of them rushed back to his car, and he drove her home.

**A/N: I know this is a really short chapter, but I really didn't want to put a whole lot of detail into other dates, so this is as good as it's gonna get. Again, please read and review! I really need to know how I'm doing so far!**


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